It’s been a while since we launched Above Trends, Beyond Insights. What began as an experiment in editorial positioning has gradually become a method: looking past headlines to understand how technology actually behaves inside organisations.

When false images become believable

Italy’s premier Giorgia Meloni has condemned the circulation of AI-generated images that falsely depicted her in lingerie, describing them as a dangerous form of cyberbullying and misinformation. The images, shared online and presented with the visual realism typical of deepfake content, turned a personal and political attack into a broader warning about how easily fabricated material can enter public debate before the law, platforms or verification mechanisms are able to react.

AI-generated images, videos and voices are entering an information environment already weakened by speed, polarisation and mistrust. The result is a deeper uncertainty around what can still be treated as evidence.

In recent electoral cycles, deepfakes have already been used to fabricate political images, and, in some cases, create confusion close to elections, during moments of public tension or inside highly emotional debates.

The most dangerous effect may be that people start doubting everything. Scholars call this the “liar’s dividend”: once the public knows that convincing deepfakes exist, authentic images or recordings can also be dismissed as artificial (and we are already seeing this). In electoral contexts, this means real evidence can be rejected as fabricated and fabricated evidence can travel faster than corrections.

The legal framework is still catching up. Italy has moved toward criminal penalties for harmful AI-generated content, while the EU AI Act introduces transparency obligations for certain AI-generated or manipulated content. Yet regulation faces an obvious timing problem: deepfakes spread in minutes, while legal remedies, platform moderation and public clarification often arrive later. The gap between technical realism and institutional response is now one of the most important spaces in which misinformation operates.

A more mature response requires a wider culture of verification: clearer rules, faster authentication channels, better media literacy and stronger responsibility for those who create, amplify or profit from manipulated content.

TREND TRACKER

The strange insecurity of everyday technology

The hacked pedestrian crossings in Silicon Valley sounded like a prank: people pressed a button and heard voices imitating Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg instead of standard crossing instructions. Yet the incident points to something more interesting than the joke itself.

Much of the technology embedded in daily life, from public devices to office systems and connected equipment, is designed to disappear into the background. It works precisely because nobody notices it. That invisibility becomes a problem when security depends on default passwords, weak access controls or unclear responsibility between manufacturers, operators and local authorities.

Want to learn more?

• The Dumbest Hack of the Year Exposed a Very Real Problem - Wired

• Silicon Valley crosswalk buttons hacked to imitate Musk, Zuckerberg’s voices - TechCrunch

• Weak passwords lead to hacked Silicon Valley crosswalk buttons - NBC

QUICK INSIGHT

How to verify before reacting

False content often survives because people who reject it still help it circulate. A mature response begins with the ability to reduce visibility while increasing clarity.

• Do not reshare the original content unless there is a clear public-interest reason.

• Use neutral descriptions instead of sensational details.

• Link to verified sources rather than reposting manipulated material.

• Correct the claim, not only the object: explain what is false and what is known.

• Avoid turning the manipulated content into a meme, even critically.

• Make the correction easy to understand, easy to quote and harder to distort.

WHO IS BABINI MAZZARI

Our Value Proposition

Babini Mazzari is the strategic IT partner for European companies looking to navigate digital transformation in a structured, pragmatic, and sustainable way.
We don’t just deliver technical solutions - we work as an extension of your internal team, helping you integrate systems, optimize processes, and lead change with clarity and competence.

Our approach is built on listening, transparency, and a strong results-driven culture. Whether you're scaling, modernizing, or rethinking your operating model, we support every client with the right tools, clear methodology, and long-term vision.
Above Technology. Beyond Solutions.

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